


An Egg for the Soul(mate)

by dreamBot



Series: 21 Peaceful Days [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Also bad jokes thats the only archive warning this fic gets tbh, Fluff, Incredibly misleading title and summary btw i just realizED, Indirect Flirting??, Indirect Handholding, Oneshot, Other, Reader Is Not Frisk, Soulmate AU, now with illustration bc im self-shipping trash, oh well plot twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7937329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamBot/pseuds/dreamBot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"uh... i-i guess soulmates are... pretty cool. i mean," he buried his chin into his hoodie, muffling his next words, "it'd be nice to have one." </p><p> Their eyes widened in glee before they straightened in a business-like manner, and Sans only just realized they were a couple inches taller than him. "Sounds good enough to me! That'll be thirty bucks, amigo." </p><p>In which Sans bought a thing from an antique shop in the hopes it'll help him find his soulmate. (Spoilers: it does but at the same time doesn't.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Egg for the Soul(mate)

**Author's Note:**

> FEEL FREE TO SKIP PAST THIS LARGE PILE OF NOTES. SORRY:
> 
> SO YOU GOTTA GOOGLE THESE NEATO FANCY THINGS CALLED ROLY POLYS TO GET THIS AU (THAT I MADE UP MYSELF IF OTHERS HADNT YET?? IDK???) BUT BASICALLY THEYRE A PAIR OF EGG-SHAPPED JIGGAWHATSITS THAT WHEN ONE OF THEM MOVES, THE OTHER MOVES THE SAME WAY EVEN IF THERES NOTHING PUSHING IT. 
> 
> ITS MEANT TO BE FOR COUPLES IN A LONG-DISTANT RELATIONSHIP BUT I THOUGHT??? HEY??? WHY NOT??? SOULMATE?????? 
> 
> AND THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT SANS AND READER AND THEN I COULDNT GET THIS TYPED OUT FAST ENOUGH AND FRANKLY I AM ANGRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG. 
> 
> THIS SOULMATE AU MIGHT NOT EVEN MAKE SENSE LIKE THE 'GLOWING HEARTS' AU OR 'TATTOOED FIRST WORDS' AU BUT IM TAKING SEVERAL SHOTS IN THE DARK FOR THE HECK OF IT ANYWAY. BC I LIKE IT. 
> 
> ANYWAY THANKS IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, YOU'RE NOT INTIMIDATED BY FREAKISHLY LARGE PARAGRAPHS CONTAINING CAPSLOCKED WORDS AND FOR THAT I PRAISE YOU. OR MAYBE YOU CAN JUST PRETEND THIS IS PAPYRUS GETTING EXCITED OVER A FANFIC. 
> 
> ALSO LAST MENTION THERE'S A BLATANT BUT OBSCURE SELF-INSERT IN HERE BUT I SWEAR I'M NOT STEALING SANS AWAY FROM READER. I JUST FELT LIKE DOING IT BC IT WAS VERY HARD TO RESIST AND I SUCK AT MAKING OCS WHEN WRITING.

The egg sat ominously on his desk, serene and still. The offputting whiteness of its surface sent chills down Sans' spine as he blinked indecisively at it, feeling the object staring right back at him and sizing him up.

Why'd he buy that thing anyway? An act of irony? As a joke? Wishful thinking? Who the hell knows? It was just giving him the creeps at this point. The skeleton shook his head and got off his bed, shambling over to it and picking it up, turning it this way and that. Its surface was a bit smooth like a pebble's in a river, but still had a gritty quality to it, making a pleasant soft scritching sound as Sans dragged his hard phalanges over it. It fit just right in his palm.

The person at the counter said it was called a 'soul stone', though it hardly held any weight like a rock would like the name suggested. Fancy name for a paperweight, though. Maybe they made it up on the spot? Seemed likely; the person wasn't shady per se, but they looked too young to be manning an antique shop that looked like it had been existing for a couple decades, as old as Papyrus even. They've probably told countless tall tales about the objects around the shop to coax customers into buying them; Sans being one himself.

The skeleton rested the base of his spine against the edge of his desk, a slow sigh slipping past his teeth. His phalanges clicked rhythmically against the egg as he thought back to his visit at the store and his conversation with the cashier, eventually leading to its purchase.

It was an old shop, with the smell of chamomile lingering in the air as he stepped in, a little bell over his head announcing his arrival. A noise of surprise came from his right followed by a shuffle and a clutter. By the time he glanced over the person looked a bit flustered as they straightened out their shirt and patted down the curls on their head, a toppled stool by their feet. They held a book in their hands, discreetly applying a sticky note to where they left off. His grin widened; kid must've had their feet on the counter.

"Uh, hey! You looking for something?" they smiled crookedly, setting the book aside. Sans shrugged.

"not really. just checkin'. seemed like you had some neat stuff around here," he explained, walking over to a shelf where several necklaces were displayed on cotton mannequins. They each had an intricate design made of gold and silver, usually floral-themed around the band and a stone set in the middle. One had a turqoise gem, held with delicate silver chains and looked fit for a queen. It reminded him of Toriel.

"Oh, feel free to look around then," they encouraged. Sans turned to see them retrieving their stool before heading over to a wall of wooden clocks. "Y'know," they spoke up after sitting down and getting comfortable, "I've been working here a couple weeks and we don't get much customers, but every one we get always walks out with something they didn't know they needed before."

Sans glanced at them with a raised brow. They smiled knowingly and waggled theirs. "I'm just saying, maybe you'll find something for yourself."

"heh, i'll an- _think_ about it," he grinned, laying out his cards and hoping they'd appreciate the joke. They looked confused for second before smacking a palm against the counter, making Sans jump.

"Nice! That was terrible!" they laughed, covering their face with a palm and shaking their head. "I'm going back to my book, holler if you need anything," they added after a few stray chuckles.

"sure thing," Sans turned back to the clocks with mild interest, noting how the cashier's much more relaxed compared to when he'd first walked in. He found a small pocket watch with a crown engraved on the cover, flowers in place of jewels and wondered if Asgore would have liked it.

For a small store, they had a variety of things; faded vases, staticky radios, china animals in mint condition, memorabilia of bands he'd never heard of, a box of baseball cards, and a corner of fancy furniture that were a bit too pricey for his liking. He found a china set with a design of mermaids near the back and thought of a certain fish woman with a partiality for tea, but then realized the cups wouldn't last very long in her possession. Something close to metallic mugs would be better.

He had wandered up and down the store so many times an hour had passed; Sans only realized it after his phone buzzed with a text from his brother asking where he was. The cashier didn't seem to mind, flipping another page as he glanced up to check. He couldn't _not_ buy something after boondoggling in here for so long. Absentmindedly picking off a random object from one of the shelves as he walked to the front, he placed it on the counter and cleared his throat.

"Oh, finally found something?" they lifted their head before raising their brows at Sans' choice, not in judgement but more in surprise. The skeleton darted his eyes down and finally realized what it was he had grabbed, feeling his cheekbones burn with magic.

It was... a sculpture... of... something...

Okay, it was a bedazzled dick about the size of a foot. He could feel his eyelights being reduced to pinpricks. How had he not noticed that???

"Holy shit, I thought she threw this away," they muttered before standing and awkwardly fumbling for a box under the counter. "You uhm... have eccentric taste," they tentatively reached out to pick it up before Sans stopped them, stuttering apologies.

"th-that wasn't-- i didn't think, i just grabbed, i'm so sorry please don't make me pay for that," he grabbed the dick with two hands and held it to his chest. The kid blinked, hand held in mid-air before they gasped in relief.

"Oh thank god, I didn't wanna touch it anyway," they scratched the back of their neck, "y'know what, just drop it in the bin beside the door and I'll throw it away myself."

Realizing he was holding the phallus way too uncomfortably close to his chest he jerked his arms forward, sidestepped and chucked the thing into the trash, balls and all. Making eye contact was awkward with the cashier after that as he furiously rubbed his palms over his torso, though the kid was laughing.

"Let me guess, you wanted to at least buy something since you've already been here long enough?" they teased. Sans shrugged, his grin twitching.

"didn't wanna come off as a _dick_ , after all," he tried.

Their face twisted into a grimace of pity. "It's okay, my guy. You don't need a joke to cover it up." They crossed their arms and clicked their tongue, "Nice try, though."

"eh, it's not my best," he admitted, shoulders drooping. The blue in his cheekbones was fading, though he knew it was still noticeable. He pocketed his hands sheepishly, "i still feel obligated to buy something, though. not out of politeness, but uh... just to pay you back for that embarassment."

"Aw geez, nah," they waved a hand dismissively, "people come in to check out the neat junk around here all the time, you don't have to buy anything."

"oh? i thought every customer that came in here walked out with something," he quipped. The casher shrugged nonchalantly.

"Doesn't mean they paid for it," they winked. "Tell you what, why don't you pick out anything from the shelves and I'll give it to you for free."

Sans fidgeted. He didn't want to feel like he owed them something, even if their proposition sounded sincere. Still, it was the fastest way out of there and the sooner he could escape this mess the better. He glanced about the counter and took in the objects on display; most of them looked handmade, bracelets, figurines, toys. Maybe he could buy one for Papyrus? He'd appreciate the craftsmanship.

Sans grabbed a colonel-looking action figure to his left and set it down, "i'll take this one." For a fleeting second, he swore the kid looked almost disappointed with his choice before they smiled again, grabbing a smaller box from under the counter.

"Good choice. You sure there's nothing else you want?" they inquired almost hopefully.

"heh, i'm goo-" he stopped mid-sentence as his gaze found itself attached to an egg beside the cashier's head. An egg, of all things. They noticed his stare and swiveled around to see what it was, an excited 'oh' bursting out of their mouth.

They took it down from the shelf behind them and placed it gently on the counter before giving it a push. It tittered back and forth for a few seconds before they stopped it with a finger, grinning at Sans who just felt confused. "You interested in this?"

For some strange reason, he was. He had no idea why but every trace of magic in his bones told him he had to get it, that it somehow belonged to him and if he didn't bring it home, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. Well, maybe not regret it for the rest of his life, but something along those lines.

His internal debate must've been etched onto his face, because they reached out a fist and tapped his shoulder gently. "Hey, it's okay," they played with the egg with their fingertip, nudging it every now and again, "that's just the store working it's magic. These suckers had been a craze back when they first made them anyway, so I'm not surprised you would be interested. I've got a question for you, though." Sans looked up into their dark brown eyes and noticed a glint of something mysterious as they smiled sweetly, "Do you believe in soulmates? In human terms, I mean."

That was a weird question. The subject of souls had long been taboo, even after the monsters had come up to the surface people had been skeptical. On the subtopic of soulmates though, he had to give it some thought. To monsters, 'soulmate' was just a term they used to call their partner, regardless whether or not it seemed like they were destined to be for each other unlike the humans' way of putting it. Undyne and Alphys were soulmates. Asgore and Toriel were ex-soulmates. Simple as that.

But the humans' version of soulmate? He wasn't sure. It was pretty romantic, he supposed, but for a guy like him to have one? He'd already lived a few centuries, with a few crushes here and there and something close to a fling but a soulmate just seemed... unrealistic. His cheekbones were burning again. Stars, it just reminded him that he was a sad dusty old virgin.

"D'aw, you're blue again," the kid's cooing snapped him out of his thoughts. They were grinning, elbow propped up by the counter with their chin in their palm while the other hand kept tipping the egg. "You still haven't answered my question though, fam."

"uh... i-i guess soulmates are... pretty cool. i mean," he buried his chin into his hoodie, muffling his next words, "it'd be nice to have one."

Their eyes widened in glee before they straightened in a business-like manner, and Sans only just realized they were a couple inches taller than him. "Sounds good enough to me! That'll be thirty bucks, amigo."

Sans frowned, nothing short of confused. "h-huh?"

"Look, I'm okay with giving away _one_ free thing but _two_? My aunt would kill me," they nudged the egg a couple inches forward, bringing it closer to Sans. "Since you're cute and all, I'll bump it down to twenty seven, but that's it."

"now wait a sec, i didn't say i want it--"

"But you do, right?" they turned serious, palms splayed out as they tilted their head. "You don't need to tell me how it feels, I've had experiences with it myself." Their gaze was soft and understanding, their next words said with a smile, "Believe me when I say you won't regret it."

"but... what does it even _do_?"

Their jaw dropped as they blinked rapidly before giving him an odd look. "You mean you don't know?"

He shook his head.

"Well, shoot. No wonder you were hesitant. It's called a soul stone, at least, that's what my aunt said it's supposed to be called. Commercially it's called a Roly Poly, cute name, amiright?" they grinned before continuing. "So anyway, way back when monsters first came up, some company claimed that these things responded when you and your soulmate both have them. Even when you've never met, if one of you were to tip it over like so," they flicked a finger gently over the top of the egg, making it rock gently, "then the other would mirror it's movement even if there was nothing else making it move."

Sans furrowed his brows, his grin slowly turning down at the edges. "and you sure this thing works?"

The kid pulled their lips back in uncertainty, making a so-so motion with their hand. "Yeaaaah, that's part of the reason why they've stopped making these. One is because it only works if you _both_ own soul stones, if not then nothing happens. A lot of customers were disappointed after months of waiting for theirs to move. Two is because they've broken up a fair shair of couples after they tested their soul stones and found they didn't move together. I mean, talk about a major let down, y'know?"

They didn't wait for him to answer before they perked up, "But hey! Coming across one of these is a pretty big deal. It's how one of them made it to this shop. And thirty-- I mean, twenty seven dollars is a pretty _egg_ cellent deal. They used to cost a lot more, my man."

"oh yeah? how much?"

"Maybe like forty bucks."

"that's not really--"

"The _point_ is," they reached out and held a hand on Sans' shoulder, tone full of reassurance, "you feel a strong connection to it. I think there might be a reason why, wouldn't you agree?"

...And that's the story of how Sans the skeleton wasted thirty-- I mean, twenty seven dollars on a Humpty Dumpty-looking piece of glorified paperweight currently resting on the palm of his hand. It's almost been a month since his visit to that shop, but he thinks it's high time he's paid another visit just to give that kid a piece of his mind. It's going to be Frisk's birthday soon anyway, and they always had a preference for weird mystical junk.

He sighed and rubbed the surface with a thumb one last time before turning around to set it back on his desk. At least, that's what he would've had done if the egg hadn't just catapulted off his hand and dropped to the floor with a thud, rocking in a circle as his eyelights followed it in shock. That... that didn't just happen on it's own, did it?

He watched it carefully, waiting for another response as its rolling slowed before stopping abruptly. Okay... so it must've been his imagination. He crouched down and reached out a hand to pick it up, only to squeak as it jerked to one side before tipping to the other.

 _Oh gods oh gods oh gods it's his soulmate he has a soulmate what the fuck someone help--_ what was he even supposed to _do_!?!?!

As he freaked out the egg had settled back on its base, rocking just the tiniest amount. Was his... s-soulmate still there, looking at it? He sucked in a breath into the lungs he didn't visibly have and reached out a hand to poke it, sending it teetering a bit.

It rocked naturally, a response from an unseen force not coming even after a few more seconds of waiting. He tried once more and got nothing. Had they left? Oh gods, what if he had already missed his chance what if---

Oh.

Oh!

It was moving!!!

He made an embarassing keening noise at the base of his throat out of sheer excitement, feeling his magic spread across his cheekbones as he watched it roll in the opposite direction he had pushed it.

He sat there a few minutes poking the egg back and forth with his invisible partner, feeling a sense of happiness wash over him. This had to be real, right? The kid from the shop had said it. This had to be another person, someone he'd possibly never even met or talked or seen before, playing with the egg with him and just _knowing_ he was somewhere, waiting for them just as much as they were waiting for him. The thought sent a pleasant electric feeling up his spine.

The egg suddenly tipped to one side as the other person pushed it forward towards him, holding it at an angle instead of letting it rock. Sans tilted his head in confusion. Did they want him to...?

He reached out a hand and firmly pushed back, sucking in a breath as he felt a force, a pressure, gentle but firm, holding the egg against his palm. It's like... it's like they were holding hands, he thought giddily, feeling his magic flare up again. Was that what his soulmate was thinking? Were they really that sweet?

He found himself wanting to never let go. He was being such a sap at the moment but he didn't care. Even if it wasn't real and it felt too good to be true, he just wanted to believe that he really did have... _someone._

A few more minutes passed before the egg nudged against his palm twice before retreating, almost hesitant. His grin twitched a bit before he let go as well, standing up and putting it back on his desk. His eyes widened as he realized something. How exactly was he going to find them? Will they ever even meet?

......He had a feeling that was the third reason they stopped manufacturing Roly Polys.

 

* * *

BONUS: 

**Author's Note:**

> I MIGHT MAKE A SEQUEL IF PEOPLE WANT IT ENOUGH. OR MAYBE WHEN IM INSPIRED.
> 
> MAYBE GIVE ME A PLACE OR SITUATION WHERE SANS MEETS READER AND I CAN TAKE IT FROM THERE?
> 
> THANKS FOR READING YOU LOVELY HONEY MUNCHKINS. HAVE A NICE DAY.
> 
> ONE LAST DISCLAIMER I'M NOT AS COOL AS THE CASHIER BUT IF I WAS COOL I WISH I WAS _THAT_ COOL.


End file.
